fellow feeling

noun

: a feeling of community of interest or of mutual understanding

Examples of fellow feeling in a Sentence

There's a sense of sympathy and fellow feeling among members of the group.
Recent Examples on the Web Rolling is probably too much to hope for during this initial visit, but the whales may find some milder way of conveying fellow feeling, perhaps by swimming toward our messenger in a manner that emphasizes gentleness. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024 What has been much more difficult to discern is the squad’s morale, its fellow feeling, its unity. Rory Smith, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023 Conversion to Islam broke even the nominal fellow feeling that should have been engendered by a mutual Christian identity across white and black communities. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2013 That the attributes of self-discipline; of quiet, good-humored resolve; and of fellow feeling still characterize this country. Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic, 12 Nov. 2022 The lights go out again in a later scene, in which any fellow feeling for Jud is extinguished. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2022 Some of the fellow feeling for Kiev inspires deranged foreign policy recommendations that Biden is fortunately ignoring: a no-fly zone over Ukraine, for example. Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 11 Mar. 2022 The goodwill and fellow feeling for Ukraine extends well beyond national leaders. Abdul El-Sayed, The New Republic, 10 Mar. 2022 My tactic last night to secure my husband’s fellow feeling might have been a touch too simplistic. Diane Williams, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fellow feeling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fellow feeling was in 1621

Dictionary Entries Near fellow feeling

Cite this Entry

“Fellow feeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fellow%20feeling. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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